1 COMMUNICATION-RICH (C) COURSES IN MAJORS The importance of discipline-specific communication: To better understand how writing and speaking are used in the various majors, I have talked with Chairs; visited classes, observing speeches and presentations; and solicited and read written work from across the campus. Initial concerns/apprehension about WI and SI courses that I encountered have diminished, as faculty have seen, I believe, that CAC wants to help departments to identify and develop relevant, discipline-specific courses (rather than forcing them to teach generic, and ineffective, writing and speaking exercises). Why a C-Course Designation?: According to the CRTF plan for CAC (as distributed at the Stitching Together the Spine workshop, 25 March 2006): Each academic program will be encouraged to identify courses designated for “C” certification. These courses will explicitly articulate and practice communication skills pertinent to that discipline’s goals in critical thinking, writing, and speaking. The goal is that each student receives reinforcement of skills literacy in major courses as well as in general education courses. Rather than designating our courses as WI or SI, I propose we label them as “C” courses (Communication-Rich), since writing and speaking activities, especially when pushed to significant levels in the majors, are often linked. Faculty will have the option to emphasize writing or speaking in the C Courses, but they will be encouraged in CAC resources and workshops to look for ways that the two skills can be used in tandem. The Plan: 1. Identifying courses: • Communication Inventory: Faculty will be asked, with the encouragement of the Chairs, to submit narratives that describe the writing and speaking activities that they use in each of their courses. These voluntary narratives will be compiled into a Communication Inventory (similar to projects at Ripon College and Grinnell College). The Communication Inventory will be available to students and faculty, providing: ~ initial data that will help to identify additional C Courses. ~ assistance for advising. • Departmental C Course(s): Each department will be asked to designate one course, which majors will take, as their C Course (one course, if both writing and speaking are emphasized; or, 2 courses if the department prefers writing and speaking to be emphasized separately). As needed, Departments and the CAC Director will discuss ways to adapt the generic C criteria to each particular discipline. (The CAC Director will also work with departments to write their communication narratives, articulating the progression of writing and speaking skills that students will develop as they move through the major.) 2 • Other C Courses: Individual professors can propose their courses for C Certification, offering students the opportunity to take more than the one required communication-rich course at the major level. Course certifications will be linked to individual professors, and the initial designation will be reviewed in three-year intervals. Other C courses will be identified in the Communication Inventory. 2. C Course Certification: • C Course Requirements: In order to certify a course as Communication-Rich, departments should be prepared to identify/design a course in which they can: ~ emphasize both informal and formal communication, using the communication activities for learning as well as sharing ideas publicly. ~ have a student : faculty ratio no greater than 25:1 (preferably lower). ~ address audiences, genres, and conventions appropriate to each discipline or profession. ~ spend class time discussing communication in the discipline. ~ have students engage in communication activities, which enhance course content, for a significant amount of time during the semester, to the extent that 40% of the final course grade is based on writing and speaking activities. ~ incorporate multiple venues for feedback to students, including faculty responding to early and final drafts; and also providing students an opportunity to critique and give feedback to one another. • Individual Departments: ~ Individual departments will identify the 1 or 2 courses for C Course Certification. ~ Much like the Shepherds for Integrated Studies, the CAC Director will work with departments to insure that the proposed course(s) satisfy C Course requirements. ~Then, the CAC Director will present the course to the Curriculum Committee for certification. • Individual faculty: ~ Individual faculty can also apply to have their own course, outside the official departmental course, certified as C Course (designating an emphasis on writing, speaking, or both). ~ These courses will complement the required departmental course, showing students a campus culture in which writing and speaking are used not to satisfy a one-time curriculum requirement but to enhance learning throughout their upper-level courses. ~ General Education courses can also be certified as C Courses. ~ The CAC Director will work with the faculty member to make sure that the proposed course satisfies C Course requirements and will take the course to the Curriculum Committee for certification. ~ The C certification will be given to the faculty member and not the course itself; thus, should a different faculty member teach the course, he/she would not be expected to satisfy the C-course requirements. 3 • Certification Maintenance: ~ Responsibility for maintaining C-course requirements will rest with individual departments or faculty, with CAC serving as a resource and advocate. ~ Certification will be given for 3-year cycles, during which faculty will be asked to inform CAC if major changes are made to the communication components of the C Course. ~ Faculty will be asked to keep an updated syllabus on file with CAC. 3. C Course Workshops: • Faculty will be asked to participate in an introductory C-Course Workshop in order to have courses certified. • Workshops will discuss reasons for C Course certification, address assignment design and evaluation strategies, and offer suggestions for low- and high-stakes assignments using writing and speaking. • Ideally, if funding can be secured, the workshop will be arranged as a day-long, early- summer event, and a stipend will be offered for participation. 4. CAC Partner Department(s): • After departmental C Courses are identified, CAC will seek a Partner Department that is interested in expanding its use of communication, developing new approaches, and serving as a model for other departments. • The Partner Department and CAC will established a formalized communication plan, covering anywhere from 1 semester to 2 years, that will include communication goals and plans for C Course development, assessment, and workshop/faculty development. • When possible, the Partner Department and CAC will seek outside grants to fund the communication project. . skills pertinent to that discipline’s goals in critical thinking, writing, and speaking. The goal is that each student receives reinforcement of skills literacy in. 1 COMMUNICATION-RICH (C) COURSES IN MAJORS The importance of discipline-specific communication: To better understand how writing and speaking are used in